Curling Brushes
Weight - Lighter brushes are easier to push and therefore more effective. The main variable in terms of weight is the handle. There are basically four types of handle available. From heaviest to lightest these are wood, fibreglass, composite (fibreglass and carbon fiber), and pure carbon fiber. Given today’s advanced materials, wood and 100% fibreglass (over 400 gms) are simply too heavy. Goldline offers composite and carbon fiber, each differentiated by weight and price. The following table shows the relative handle weights:

1" 1 1/8"
Carbon Fiber 170 g 200 g
Fiberlite 270 g 300 g

Replacement Brush Heads

Replacement Brush Heads Synthetic vs. Hair - testing has shown hair and Synthetic heads to be equally effective in regular conditions. Some feel hair is more effective in frosty conditions. Such conditions exist at televised events where TV lights and crowds create a warm environment and ultimately frost on the ice. Such conditions seldom exist in club play. Hair is a natural fiber subject to breaking, and the effect of a rock running over a hair can be profound. Goldline hair heads are pure horsehair and the hair is set with epoxy to minimize hair loss.

They all seem very concerned because the ice is already flattening out late in games. This was obviously a concern for the men's Olympic team who chose not to use the new pads. It was fine for the ladies Olympic team because only one team was using the new pad. However, if both teams had been using the new pads we would likely have seen flat and unpredictable ice in the latter part of the game. A lot of those exciting late game shots simply could not have been called, let alone made - which in my opinion would suck the life out the game we all love.

What already happens at competitive levels is that the pebble is broken down in early and middle ends. Teams resort to less aggressive hair brushes in late ends so as to keep some pebble and therefore some predictability to the ice. Do we really want this at club level play? Essentially destroying the pebble and then resorting back to hair. Those of us who came through the hair era remember all too well the rocks lost to a hair on the ice.

There are a lot of aggressive materials that would likely be more effective in melting and wearing the pebble than the cordura fabric currently used. However they simple destroy the ice surface too quickly and undermine play. The trickery used by the Canadian women may have offered a slight advantage at that event, however widespread adoption will be a nightmare for icemakers and ultimately diminish the enjoyment of both playing and watching the game.

Like the ultra-curved hockey stick and the weighted boxing gloves, where personal advantage compromises the game, then we all have to say "no thanks"